Electrical piano.



M. ARESE.

ELECTRICAL PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED MAY a, 1916.

1,21 9,063. Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

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iUQNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARIO ARESE, OF TURIN, ITALY.

ELECTRICAL PIANO.

Application filed May 3, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Maine Aussie, clergyman. a subject of the King ofItaly, resident of Turin, Italy, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electrical Pianos; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description f the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters or figures of reference marked thereon, which :Form a part ofthis specification.

hiy invention is an improvement in electrically operated key actuatedmusical instruments of the class in which a series of conductingfingers, corresponding to the number of eys of the keyboard, close atthe passage-oi: toe corresponding perforation of the note sheet anelectric circuit which comprises an electro-nnignet, the soft iron coreof which acts on the corresponding key of the instrinnent The object ofthe invention is to provide means for modiiying the intensity of thesound along the keyboard and it consists in providing a resistancedevice in the common part of the circuit and common to all the branchcircuits with means for controlling the resistance. Each conductor ofthe resistance device is provided with branches, one set of branchesforming a group of con tacts for one part of the instrument, as thebass, and the other set forming a group of contacts for the other partof the instrument, as the treble. Each group of contacts has a slidingcontact adapted to be selectively connected to each branch of a group,and each sliding contact is electrically connected with contact plateone of which is in sliding contact With a series of contactscorresponding to the keys of the treble and the other in sliding contactwith a s ries of contacts corresponding to the keys of the bass.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1. is a side view of the deviceembodying my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of said device.

in the drawings, 30 designates a roller carrying a note sheet 2 providedwith perforations 3 corresponding to the keys of an instrument. 31denotes a take-up roll onto which the note sheet is wound during theoperation of the instrument. The sheet 2 Specification of LettersPatent.

httented Mar. 13, 1917.

Serial No. 95,143.

passes over a fixed bar 51 connected by means of a wire 50 to a bindingpost 50, one of the terminals of the supply line 7 0.

On the bar 51 issecured a nickel plate of snilicient length to eilect aclosure of all the circuits, so that it will not be necessary toconstruct the entire bar of nickel.

The closure of the several circuits at the passage of the correspondingperforations 3 of the note sheet 2 is effected by fingers 53 pivotallymounted in slots 54.- formed in a cross bar 55 oi insulating material,said lingers tending to swing on insulating pins toward the bar-'51under the action of springs 57 in which the wires 38 terminate; each ofsaid wires is connected to an end of the winding of a. correspondingelectromagnet 1i, connected with the other terminal 68 oi the currentsupply 70 as hereinafter described.

The electro-magnets M are arranged behind the keys 58 of the piano andtheir soft iron cores 17, (preferably constituted by a bundle of ironwires insulated from one another) bear normally against a cross bar 59with the interposition of suitable felts. Each core is connected with arod 60, the felt covered end o1": which is in contact with the lowersurface of the head 61 of a key 58. It is clear that, when. the circuitis closed the soft iron core will lift the rod causing the correspondingkey to rock on its pivot exactly as it it had been manually actuated.

In order to modify the intensity of the sound along the keyboard, aresistance set 62 is provided to the binding post 63 of which the otherterminal of the current sup ply 70 is led. A sliding contact 6% forcontrolling the resistance is suitably placed un der the keyboard of thepiano and is connected by means of wires 65 with one end of the windingsof all the electromagnets 14.

In the example shown, the resistance set may give six differentstrengths of the current through the eleotro-magnets 14 according to theposition of the sliding contact 6 on one or the other of the terminalcontacts 66 of the conductors 69/ of the resistance. It will thereforebe suiiicient to displace the sliding contact 6% to effect the passage omore or less current and therefore produce an increase or a decrease inthe intensity of sound.

Each of the conductors 62 of the resist-.

ance set (six as in the present example) is branched, one of thebranches leading to a contact 66 for the bass and the other branch 62leading to a contact 66 for the treble.

On the contacts 66 and 66 are movably mounted sliding contacts 64 and 6erespectively, which are connected by means of the wires 67 and 67, withtwo alined -metal plates 68 and 68 which are connected together andinsulated from one another. Said plates may be moved, by means of ahandle 69, over the insulating plates 71 on which are arranged contacts72 corresponding to the keys of the piano, and each contact 72 isconnected by means of a wire 6:5 with an electro-magnet 1 11-.

it is evident that by moving the sliding contacts Gland (31, it will bepossible to supply to all the electro-magnets, that are in electricalconnection with the plate (38, a current having a strength different"from that of the electro-magnets in electrical connection with theplate 68' and, by suitably moving by means of the handle (39 the twoplates 68 and 68 over the plates 71 it will be possible to modify atwill the groups of electroanagnets to which the current of differentstrength is supplied and thereby the corresponding section of thekeyboard where the intensity of sound is to be modified.

The keyed instrument to which the device is applied may be played byhand when de sired without removing any part of the device, which isquite invisible.

The forward movement of the roller 31 on which the note sheet 2 is woundmay be effected by hand or by means of any suitable motor (prei'erablyan electric motor).

I claim 1. In a key actuated musical instrument, a series of key levers,an electromagnet and its core arranged in operative relation to eachlever, a current supply, a branch circuit for each electro-magnet, anautomatic circuit closer in each branch circuit, a resistance devicehaving branches of different resistance common to all the branchcircuits of the electr c-magnets, means to select a resistance, andmeans to selectively apply the selected resistance to branch circuits ofthe electro-magnets.

2. In a key actuated musical instrument, a series of key levers, anelectro-magnet and its core arranged in operative relation to eachlever, a current supply, a branch circuit for each electromagnet, anautomatic circuit closer in each b"aneh circuit, a re sistance devicehaving branches of different resistance common to all the branchcircuits of the eleetro-magnets, means to select a resistance branch,contacts for the magnets arranged in groups, and means to electri rallyconnect the selected resistance branch with said groups of contacts.

3. In a key actuated musical instrument, a series of key overs, anelectro-magnet and its core, arranged in operative relation to eachlever, a current supply, a branch circuit for each electro-magnet, anautomatic circuit closer in each branch circuit, a. re sistance devicein the common part of the circuit, branches in the resistance, manuallyoperated switches for the branches of the resistance, a contact plateelectrically connected with each switch, and contacts for the magnets incontact with the plates.

a. In a key actuated musical instrument, a series of key levers, anelectromagnet and its core arranged in operative relation to each lever,a current supply, a branch circuit for each electromagnet, an automaticcircuit closer in each branch circuit, a resistance device in the commonpart of the circuit, branches connected with the resistance, manuallyoperated switches for the branches of the resistance, a contact plateelectrically connected with each switch, contacts for the magnets incontact with the plates, and means to simultaneously shift the plateswith respect to the contacts of the magnets.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, 1 have signedmy name.

MARIO nnjesn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe commissioner of Patents, "Washington, '11 C.

